The Thrill of the Chase
by idioticonion
Summary: Stuart has relapsed into alcoholism and Claudia heads to the bar feeling vulnerable and upset. And Barney wants to take everything off her mind. Spoilers for S4: Intervention. Warning - sexually explicit. Co written by SNOGGED from LIVEJOURNAL
1. Chapter 1

**The Thrill of the Chase**

**Part One**

It works if you work it.

One day at a fucking time.

They really should just tell the truth. Those phrases are just a big load of bullshit. It doesn't work. No matter how many meetings he attends, no matter how many different interventions she tries, no matter how many times she pours her favorite bottles of vodka down the drain just to keep him away from it.

"Ugh," Claudia hisses, plopping her purse down on the bar counter and a ghost of a grin plays on Carl's lips.

"Long day?" the bartender asks, picking up a glass and wiping it out with a towel before placing it down in front of her. He already knows her order. Every time she gets this way the only thing to soothe her is a Vodka Cranberry. On happier days, he knows to make her a fuzzy navel or a sex on the beach.

"Understatement of the year," Claudia sighs, tears already stinging her cheeks. He had left her this morning for a fishing trip with his buddies. Buddies that didn't care one lick about the struggle, buddies that would wave longneck beer bottles under his nose and chuckle as he yapped like a dog getting a treat.

"Stu?" Carl asks, because even though it's his profession to watch people get wasted, he was part of the last intervention. He knew the damage alcohol could wreck on a happily married couple and saw how it had affected them.

"Fallen off the wagon," Claudia replies sullenly, gritting her teeth as she watches him mix the sweet, gut-rotting drink. "Hell, he got run over by the wagon. Big, fat spokes indenting his face."

Carl finishes making the drink and she takes it from him, letting it slide down her throat, feeling the small bite of vodka hit her stomach.

And she can't believe just how much her life sucks right now.

Barney notices the girl with long, chestnut hair, from the table where he's sitting, sipping slowly at a whiskey on the rocks. He's been waiting an hour for a chick to walk in the door that's more than a six and right now he's in watch-and-see mode.

"One hundred dollars says when you turn around, I say 'Wow!'" he thinks to himself.

She turns around.

"Claudia?"

He didn't recognise her, still not used to the dark hair. But seriously, it makes her an eleven at least and, for a reason he can't name, he's drawn over to the bar like a moth to a flame, fixing his most sincere smile as he taps her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey…" He slides an elbow on to the bar, his body curled around hers. She's a challenge; she's always been a challenge. And tonight there's no Lily to stop him getting what he wants.

"Barney?" She asks, sniffling. She lifts up her hand and brushes a few stray tears off her cheek and offers him a pathetic half-smile.

"God, why do you always find me like this...I must look so gross..." She picks up a cocktail napkin and dabs at her cheekbones.

He feels so close to her like this with his arm on the bar and his stomach centimeters from her side. It's so intimate, so caring. So not the cheap bravado he brings into a crowded room. And so not the man who forgot to read the intervention invitation.

"You look amazing…" he says, knowing that he looks utterly sincere (he practices enough in the mirror) and, come on, at least she doesn't get all puffed-up and piggy-eyed when she weeps like some chicks do.

He reaches forward and hooks a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. The chestnut brown suits her, brings out the blue of her eyes. It's just so much sexier than the baby-blonde she used to be. More sophisticated. More…

"Now tell me why you're crying?" He says softly, all sympathy and supportiveness.

"It's Stuart," Claudia says, sighing deeply. "The intervention didn't take. He..." Her fingers imperceptibly shake when she reaches for her drink and her eyes lower to the counter as a wash of shame and guilt passes through her.

She can hear the words of her Catholic mother telling her how she's failed at keeping her husband sober and it's eating away at her like a parasite.

"He started drinking again...and I..." Her breath catches in her throat as she feels his hand touch her cheek again. It's warm and it makes her feel a tingle in the base of her spine. God, she's a married woman. Married women aren't supposed to feel tingles from another man's hand on their cheek. "I don't know what to do, Barney."

Her eyes lock with his, hoping he can give her an answer to her problem.

"Baby, there's not a lot you can do. Except talk through your problems with someone who can lend a sympathetic ear. Someone who's your… equal…?" He smiles.

"Chin up?" He lifts her chin with his finger, tilting his face towards hers. With any other girl, it would look like he might be trying to sneak in a kiss but he can't let Claudia think that yet. He can't let her get skittish before he really goes in for the kill. It would take all the fun out of it.

"You need a friend," he suggests innocently. "Let me buy you another drink? We can talk at my table?"

His fingers brush her knee, but it's like a pat of reassurance.

Her chests heaves slightly as her breathing quickens. She can't believe that he just wants to be nice, wants to talk, and wants to listen.

God, Stu never wanted to listen or talk. He always wanted to drink or watch football or play fantasy baseball with Tom, Dick, and Stupid.

"I...Barney, thank you." As she rises to her feet to follow him back to his table, she can't help but wonder out loud. "Tell me again, why more men can't be just like you?"

He tilts his head with a wry, self-deprecating smile, although inwardly he's punching the air.

"I guess that most men would just see a pretty woman crying and maybe take advantage?" He sounds like he can barely believe it. "But all I see is a friend. A friend who, maybe, hasn't let herself have fun a while?" His voice rises in tone at the end there, leaving the question hanging between them.

A waitress comes by and he shakes two fingers at her mouthing "Same again but a double!" over Claudia's shoulder as she turns her back to sit at the table.

Her eyes close for a moment, contemplating his words and how smooth they sound coming from his lips. For a second, she wonders about the stories she's heard about him bedding women just for the challenge of it and from the way he's looking at her, the way he's soothing her...she has to firmly believe they are fabricated.

This can't be a trick.

Not when he seems so genuine. So...perfectly Barney.

She leans against the back cushion and wraps her arms around her waist.

"Fun...I have fun...I'm in a book club and it's...fun. Totally fun."

He chuckles, teasingly. "Oh, wow. A book club! You wild thing!" He flashes her a grin because this is going to be so much easier than he thought. He moves closer to her so that their hips are touching - close, comfortable, getting her used to the idea of physical contact without her defenses going up - that's the trick.

"You know what you need?" He grins, handing her a fresh cocktail glass. "A girl's night out. You need to kick back, de-stress."

His fingers brush against hers as he hands her the glass, her hands are a little cold. He makes a mental note. When she's a little more buzzed he might offer to warm them up.

She bites down on her lip when he scoots closer, his hip pushing slightly against hers.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not the wildest girl in the world. But I can have a good time when I want too. My drunk husband certainly can." There's a hint of bitterness in her voice as she thinks of Stuart and she reaches for the freshly paid-for drink in Barney's hand. When his hand touches hers, it sends a small tingly shock through her skin. In the soft haze of her slowing brain cells, she has to believe it's the alcohol. That it's a mirage. That she's a married woman and Barney's not...hot.

Her eyes drift to his jaw line and his lips, taking in their defined structure and feeling a bit like a girl developing a crush on Brad Pitt.

"Girl's night out? Wouldn't that take me away from the relaxation you're trying to force on me?" She teases, a little bit of a twinkle returning to her eyes.

Barney grins indulgently. "Well, the way I see it, beautiful girl like you needs to be shown just how much attention she could get, how many guys would walk through red hot coals just for a smile from those pretty lips. Maybe you just need a little lift? Show Stu that he's an idiot for neglecting you? A little harmless flirtation does wonders for the soul, Claudia..."

And thus he plants the seeds in her brain - independence, hedonism, freedom… because if he's lucky, she just might be persuaded to take the next step. Just one step, then another. Enough steps and he'll have her, half-naked, in a bathroom stall.

But she's got to take that first step.

Her heart flutters at his words and butterflies take wing in her belly. The idea of any man walking through coals just to see her smile- its poetry. And it sure as hell lifts her spirits a little.

God, if only she could get Stu to talk her like that. Maybe their marriage would be different. Maybe the sex would be better. Maybe...a little harmless flirtation couldn't hurt. Barney was her friend, after all. He was certainly trying to keep her best interests at heart.

"You're right, Barney," she murmurs. "But I'm not really not comfortable just flirting with some stranger. I mean, they could get the wrong idea, couldn't they? And I...I don't want to hurt Stu like that. But maybe, because you're a friend...you could help me; you know, break out of this shell a little and show Stu what he's missing out on? I want to be fun Claudia, not mopey Claudia."

Wow.

She's just… this is just… way too easy.

And okay, so he's gotta play this slow, play this clever, but she's handing herself to him on a platter and she has no idea how hard she's getting him right now.

"Aw, baby! Anything I can do to make this a little easier on you…?" He moves casually so he's pressed tight against her and indicates that she should look towards the bar. While he talks, he's conscious of her warm, soft body and he knows damn well she'll be thinking about his.

"First rule of flirting, don't bother with the guys who aren't worth your while. Look at the dudes over there. Anyone who catches your eye?" He turns to her with a grin. "You know you can make any guy dance to your tune. You just have to play the jig."


	2. Chapter 2

PART TWO

She shakes her head, feeling the pressure of his weight against her body.

"Barney, I don't want another guy. I'd feel so sleazy hitting on some strange dude in the bar. And. I. Am. Not. A. Slut." She punctuates each word by swallowing down parts of her drink and she frowns when the glass becomes empty. After a moment, she realizes something and she turns to look at Barney.

"Are you trying to pass me off to some other guy so you don't have to take care of me anymore?" Her speech is slurring, masking the faint traces anger in her tone. And she blinks twice, adjusting to the sudden blur around the edges of her vision. "You don't want to stay with me. You wanna go find some other girl. Well, let me tell you, Barney Stinson. It ain't gonna work. I'm staying right here. All. Night. Long. And you..." She pokes her finger into his chest. "...will just have to deal with it, Mister."

Barney laughs gently, smiling, hooking an arm around her shoulder. "Awww! Claudia, of course I'm not. I'll take care of you baby. I'll stay here with you…"

Her finger slides between the buttons of his shirt, popping one of them accidentally so that her hand slides beneath it. This doesn't phase him, in fact, it works towards the plan. She needs to get used to touching him after all.

"I'll stay here with you…" They are so close but he doesn't press her. He knows she'll withdraw.

This time.

Claudia feels her finger go from cloth to warm, bare skin and she pulls it away quickly, feeling like she's touched the hot, glowing rings of the stove top. She can't believe she touched him like that, can't believe she could feel the hardness of his muscles just from one tiny press. Poking Stu that way...all she finds is chubby, baby fat softness. Not that she ever minded before. But it feels like she has to mind now. Now that Barney is so close...so...he smells like scotch and cigar smoke.

It's intoxicating. She can't help but want to sink further into it and she does, nestling her head against the crook of his arm. She feels safe here. Feels safe with him. Even though her thoughts are waffling between wanting to do...stuff...with him and staying faithful to her husband.

"Good," she says quietly, eyes scanning the room to find the waitress so she can signal her to bring more liquor. "I think I need another drink."

Barney raises a finger behind Claudia's back and indicates another round of double-vodkas. This has to be her last one though. Any more and she'll be asleep in his arms, not wrapped around him, legs tight around his waist and grinding on his dick.

He sucks in a breath of air, the sharp tug of arousal spiking through his groin and he murmurs in her ear "You deserve a drink… and a good time. You need someone to show you a good time, Claudia. Just for a little while. Because life's too hard and too god damn bleak and you're in the prime of your life. You're wasted on this. You need to break out, have fun, live a little."

His lips brush the shell of her ear and he's still holding her. He draws her in with his words, closer, closer until she's trembling beside him.

He wants her helpless, begging him. He wants her hard and fast. And he wants her soon.

Claudia shudders, clenching her thighs together as his breath hits her ear. It's a weak spot, a sensitive spot. One that almost immediately makes her pussy wet.

She flashes back to the moment when she first discovered that about herself. It had been in a '79 Mustang Convertible with Ed Loomis, captain of the football team. The very same Ed who slid his fingers past the barrier of her cotton panties and fingered her until she came with a crashing moan.

"Barney...please...wanna have a good time....wanna be fun Claudia...please..."

When the next drink is set down in front of her, she can't bring herself to touch it. She feels so drunk, so heady, so fuzzy...

Barney's so close. She can feel him, breathe him, and taste him in the very air. And yet she can't see how dangerous this really is.

He's still close, lowering his voice, just the tiniest bit so that it whispers and vibrates against her ear. "I can make you feel so good, baby. I can bring the fun. Just trust me… trust me, baby. You trust me don't you? Oh yeah… you do. Let me show you how good you can be…"

She's vibrating now, pulsing beneath his fingers and damn Stuart - he never knew what a good thing he had, bet he never gave it to Claudia, hard and dirty. And the stupid fool deserves it. Deserves to have her snatched out from under him.

"You want to feel it, baby?" He growls, feeling her thighs clench beneath his fingers. "You wanna feel how good I can make it?"

Claudia whimpers, feeling helplessly caught in the web of his voice. A fly for his supper. God, she wants him to eat her alive. She wants to...God, she wants to feel it, feel something. Can't remember how long it's been since Stuart made her feel so vulnerable, so exposed, so intensely raw.

"Stuart..."

It doesn't come out like a plea to stop. It comes out as a broken whisper. An almost surrender to what she knows is about to happen. And she can't even blame the alcohol, no matter how much her vodka-infused brain cells are likely to blame.

And then she signs her sentence with a word, escaping her lips before she can pull it back.

"Yes..."

His fingers tickle the flesh just below the hem of her skirt as it rides up an inch. She's squirming now and instead of just whispering in her ear he's nuzzling her neck with his lips, his tongue flicking across her jugular, feeling it pulse, feeling her groan vibrate through the skin of her throat. He gets quickly to his feet, his dick briefly tenting his pants before he captures her hand in his, encouraging her to stand up. She unbalances, falling forward into his arms and the pressure of her against his groin is maddening.

"Hey, I think maybe you need to splash a little cold water on your face?" He looks down at her solemnly. "And then maybe we can get some fresh air?" He wants to lull her, make her think she's got time to change her mind when actually she's his the second she steps into the bathroom.

She just doesn't know it yet.

She almost can't believe how tipsy she feels, how hard it is to get her legs to work properly. They just feel so heavy, so burdening. But Barney holds onto her fast, doesn't let her fall.

He feels so hard against her, so firm. And there's something poking against her leg...God, he's turned on by this...but fuck, so is she and it suddenly makes her stomach churn and twist with nerves. She shouldn't be thinking about cheating. Cheating is bad, wrong, and dirty. Only slutty girls cheat. She's not a slutty girl. Maybe the cold water would knock some sense into her.

"That sounds nice."

She lets him lead her into the restroom, neither one of them batting an eye as he pushes through the door marked men's. It's quiet in there. Clean and porcelain. She stumbles over to the sink and tries to work the knobs but they won't turn.

His arms snake around her waist and suddenly he's pressed up against her, his hands running teasingly light over the front of her body.

She blinks, feeling his pelvis mould against the curve of her ass. And it occurs to her that there is no cold water, there was never going to be any cold water. He was doing exactly what he promised.

"Wow… you're so hot Claudia. You're incredible!"

He pulls her away from the sink and turns her around in his arms. "You know that some guy needs to show you what it means to be a woman, baby. And I can be that guy…" He bends his head to her lips, but doesn't kiss her. "I'll be the best you ever had."

She shivers when he brings his face so close to her skin. So close to her face. To her mouth. The mouth that last kissed Stuart. Oh God, is she really doing this?

His cock presses against her thigh, nudging at her like a puppy dog starved for attention.

"Barney...I...is this a good idea?"

It's her last attempt at holding onto control and the way he's chipping away at her defenses is terrifying and insanely hot.

He silences her with a kiss. It's soft at first, with a little tongue - just tickling her lips and encouraging her to let him in. But it turns hard, invasive, brutal in a second and he's holding her up and crushing her defenses and battering down her resistance for a good half a minute before pulling away, leaving her breathless and shaken.

He has to make her see that this is what she wants - that SHE makes him feel this passion, this desperate desire. This is all about Claudia, her body, his body. He wants to be inside her, right now, but he wants to break her down first.

The way he's kissing her, the way he captures her mouth, it makes her knees weak. She's never felt more passion or intensity and her head swims with the thought of having more. God, she wants it all now.

If he can do this to her lips, she can only imagine what he can do to other parts of her.

His hands are still on her when he pulls away and she gasps in as much as air as she can manage before meeting his eyes.

"I...want...you."

There's something like dark triumph in his face, something almost demonic flickering in his eyes for a second but he shifts and leaves her trembling, gripping the wall behind her while he turns the lock on the bathroom door. "We've got about ten minutes until Carl comes to find out why the door's jammed."

He winks at her.

"Bet I can make you come three times before then?"

She doesn't respond to his question. She just hooks her fingers past the elastic band of her skirt, sliding it down her hips and letting it pool to the floor. She's saving him the trouble. It's the mark of a willing participant, a woman needing to give up what ever she was trying to hold onto in the first place.

A dark red blush heats her cheeks as her hands slide back up her legs, brushing over the thin fabric of her bright pink thong. As she maneuvers out of them, she hesitantly meets his eyes, watching him appraise her and wondering if she's good enough.

His lips curve into a smirk as he approaches her across the cold, tiled floor.

"Wow… you really are a dirty girl. You know what happens to dirty girls, don't you, baby?"

He pulls her towards him, tilting her head with one hand so that he can kiss her, hard and fast again, his other hand roaming over her body, unchecked, squeezing her breast, her bare ass, her thighs, before probing between her legs to find her slick, hot and eager. She grinds herself against his fingers the second he puts them there.

Boy, his instincts were so right about her.

He'd bet anyone five hundred bucks that she's never been like this with Stuart.


	3. Chapter 3

PART THREE

"What happens?" She stammers, feeling his fingers slide into the wetness of her pussy, groping, flicking, twisting, stroking. Her juices are flowing down her thighs, drenching his skin.

God, she's never been this girl before. Never been the girl who lets some guy...no, Barney's not some guy...he's her friend. He's just watching out for her. Not that it even sounds like a good excuse anymore.

Her hips rock against his hand as he stretches her wider. Two fingers...three fingers...four...

Her body lurches forward, her own fingers gripping the lapels of his suit coat as if trying to hold on for dear life.

Oh god, she's so wet, so hungry, that it feels like he could get his whole hand up there right now. And he rubs his thumb over her clit until it's hard and he can feel each beat, each throb, through he tips of his fingers, curling inside her.

She shudders and he kisses her again, hard and invasively, his tongue penetrating her throat even as she gets herself off on his hand. She's a dirty slut and it hardly takes a word or two to bring that out of her. And dirty sluts… "they get fucked, Claudia. You get fucked until you can't see straight," He says the words the second she comes, as her first orgasm rips through her, he tells her how dirty she is, how she's asking for this, begging for this.

Her cheeks burn with humiliation and embarrassment as she comes for him; body writhing, convulsing, seizing, burning. And she knows he's right even though it hurts for her to think like that. She is a dirty girl. A dirty slut. A dirty whore. He's the one making her come in the men's bathroom and she's the one spiraling past the point of no return. She's the one who's cheating on her husband, the one who let herself get tangled in his web. And even worse, she's the one craving more of it. Wants him to keep feeding her new addiction.

"God, yes...such a dirty girl..."

He holds her up, his brain buzzing as he unbuckles his belt, one-handed, pulling at his zipper and frees his erection from the confines of his pants. He rolls on a condom, pressing his lips to hers to stop her panting and moaning. Then, he grabs her thighs, hoists her up against the wall, and slams into her. She's bucking from the second he's inside her, and he thanks the hours he's put in the gym lately to build muscle in his legs because she's twisting like a demon in his grip.

The cold tile of the wall presses into her back and she wriggles in his arms to find a point of comfort. Some part that would make her feel less trapped but it's not happening. Her focus drifts to his cock moving inside her, making her feel like there's a thick snake coiling inside her belly.

This is nothing like Stuart. Everything about it is so different. So new. So insane. It makes the neurons in her brain feel like they're on speed or something.

"Barney," she whimpers his name, her French manicured nails digging into his neck. "Please...please don't...don't stop..."

He hears the contradiction in her words. Her head's saying no but her gut's telling her OH YES. And he pushes her tight to the wall, pulls her closer, going for deep, deep, deeper. Wants her to feel every inch of her, wants her to still feel it when she walks out of here.

He's marking her, filling her, making her his.

Just for a little while.

Electrical pulses shoot through her skin as his cock goes deeper. She can feel him brush against the edge of her cervix and her hips undulate erratically, making it harder for him to hold on to her.

She can feel herself slipping, slipping, slipping into the unreal...forgetting who she is. He's so far inside of her that it almost feels like he's becoming her. She's not herself with him. She's so much more than that.

He grits his teeth and fucks her harder, barely aware of anything /but/ her, of the bathroom, of the bar, of the time and place because there's so MUCH delicious friction here and she's gasping and moaning and he's getting her off, hard, fast, immediate and Jesus-!

He slams into her - he's at the edge and she's not far behind.

Her moans start soft but with each stroke, she can hear them getting louder and louder, echoing in the small room, bouncing off the tiles.

Her nails dig into his neck as her body shudders, waves of pleasure crashing over her as she takes the final fall. If this is only her second orgasm, she can only imagine what number three will look like.

In her lust-fogged state of mind, she doesn't hear the door knob shake. Doesn't realize that someone is trying to get in here.

Doesn't realize she might not even make it to round three.

He hears the knocking, right next to them. A few feet away someone's trying to get in to use the john with no idea what's going on behind the inches of wood and plaster. It robs Barney of his orgasm, momentarily, and it takes him a moment to refocus, lift Claudia away from the wall and carry her over to the sink, propping her ass on the edge of the porcelain so he can take the weight off his back and legs. Looks into her eyes - she looks dazed and sexed-out.

"Come on baby!" He wheedles her. "Can't stop now. Race you to the finish line?"

He pounds into her again as the door handle rattles and a voice calls out "Hey! Anybody in here! Damn… Gonna complain about this!"

She feels him move her, feels her ass slide into the sink, her flesh picking up a few stray water droplets that hadn't evaporated yet.

Her pussy tightens around him and her muscles clench. She doesn't know if she can take much more of this but she doesn't want to be left with the empty feeling of him disconnecting her.

"Don't stop...don't stop now..."

She hears the man on the other side of the door and can't help but feel a little disappointed that he didn't stay to listen. She knows he would just have to press his ear to the door and he would hear every cry, every moan, every grunt, every slap of flesh against flesh.

She comes for a third time just thinking about that.

God, she is a dirty girl. Barney was so right about her.

Oh fuck he's coming and he promised himself he'd give her three but- shit holy motherfucker CHRIST she's sucking him in and bearing down on him and she's enjoying this as much as he is suddenly. It goes on, and on, the pleasure/pain of being inside her and having to race to the end because any minute now Carl's gonna break down the door and stop him.

He doesn't even catch his breath. She's still trembling, legs akimbo on the sink when he moves away, pulls up his pants and fastens his belt.

Fuck! Fuck it where's her skirt?

He helps her down, she's still dazed, he's still throbbing but there's no time for a glow because-

There's her skirt - he throws it at her. "Get dressed!"

The skirt falls into her hands and she stares at it like she's never seen it before. She's not ready. This is too fast, too soon. Everything's still too hazy, still detached from reality. Putting on her skirt...God, it represents the end of this. She doesn't want it to end yet. She doesn't want to walk out the door and feel the guilt and shame of cheating on her husband hit her like a tanker truck.

How can he expect her to walk out the door so soon? With her legs so weak. It's not fair.

She looks up at Barney, pleading in her eyes. "I can't...can't go out there like this."

Okay, so she's being a total girl about this but he really doesn't want Carl manhandling him so he takes Claudia's arm and supports her. "Look, baby, we gotta get outta here, okay? Now, I could buy you a nice drink… or a coffee? Something to take the edge off and settle you down?" He tried to keep his voice light, kind even, but Jesus - could she be more annoying? But maybe he can just dump her in the bar and make a quick getaway?

She nods and slowly lifts her legs to get the skirt over her ankles before sliding it up to her hips. He doesn't let her adjust it on her waist before he grabs her arm and yanks the bathroom door open.

Her head is pounding as the noise of the bar envelops her and she can feel her sobriety start to come back to her. She needs to perk the fuck back up before she can even think of making the trek home.

"Coffee's good."

She doesn't notice the look in his eyes. The look of a man desperate to make his escape. The look of a man who doesn't do post-coital. With anyone. Even if it's a married woman he's conned into surrendering to him.

He freezes at the jukebox, because holy shit, Marshall and Ted are sitting there in their regular booth drinking a beer. He needs to ditch her and ditch her now.

(…and Marshall and Ted have been sitting there drinking while he's been nailing Claudia in the restroom. What UP!)

He allows himself a quick grin then turns to look at her. "Look… Claudia…?" He says her name as if he's almost forgotten it. "It's been fun… but I think I gotta go right now. I got a… thing… a work… thing…" He backs away from her and is at the door in a shot, straightening his tie before slipping outside.

She watches him go; feelings of loss and confusion settling over her like a blanket on a cold night.

I'm gonna show you a good time.

His promise reverberates in her skull. Clearly, he forgot to add that good time had an expiration date and that she was just a conveniently placed hole for him to fill.

Arggghhhh...how could she be so stupid? So vulnerable? She should have seen this coming.

She takes a deep breath and moves out the door. She's gonna kill him.


End file.
